My Adventure With The Doctor
by angieblair10
Summary: Elizabeth knew back then that something was wrong, that something was missing in her life, and on that fateful October night, she realized what it was: The Doctor. Read along as Elizabeth reflects back on her adventure travelling with The Doctor, and discovering the Universe and all it has to offer.
1. Prologue

Something was wrong. I still to this day have no clue as to why I couldn't sleep that chilly autumn night, but I will be forever grateful for those circumstances; for, that was the night that my adventure with the Doctor began.

It was nearly two in the morning on that chilly October evening, and I had been tossing and turning for hours, so I decided to brew myself a warm cup of tea and go for a walk. The park near my building was perfect for late night walks-with its perfectly manicured lawns, vintage street lamps, and periodical duck ponds-I loved going there to think and write when I was feeling stressed.

That night felt like any other night; chilly, calm, with the faint noise of wind blowing through the leaves on the trees above my head. I was feeling a bit more relaxed and was just about ready to turn around and head home when this horrible sound echoed through the park. I quickly ducked behind the nearest park bench, and watched in awe as a big blue box appeared out of thin air! I was frozen in place by what I had just seen, and even more astonished by the man who popped out! With hands in his pocket, and his long brown coat flowing in the dying wind that his magical box kicked up, he took a long deep breath and exhaled with a confident smile, then retreated back into his blue box.

I remained hidden behind that park bench trying to comprehend what I had just seen. Where did that box come from? Who was that man? And what exactly was he doing in that box? Being the nozy woman I had always been, I decided to investigate.

I slowly walked towards the blue box. As I got closer, I could read that it was a "Police Public Call Box," which made me even more suspicious. I got within mere feet of the door when the mysterious man stuck his head out.

"Well, hello there! I was wondering when you would be showing up!"

_He had mignificent hair._

"Where did you and your box just come from?" _For the record, I'm not very proud of this 'profound' statement. I was in a state of confusion and surprise._

"Well, I just rescued the planet from a giant sinking spaceship, and met a nice young lady, well that didn't work out too well, but-"

"No. I mean, you appeared out of thin air, I watched it happen, where did you come from?"

"That's easier to explain once you're in the TARDIS."

"What the bloody-Hey!" Without another word he grabbed my hand and pulled me into his magical blue box.


	2. Into the Tardis

The inside of the blue box was nothing like I had expected. There were stairways and doorways and a giant control system at the core. The ceiling was high and there were metallic beams everywhere I looked. For lack of a better word, it looked completely _**alien.**_ I studdered over every word that tried to come out of my mouth, "I-The-It's-"

"It's bigger on the inside? Yeah, I get that a lot."

"But-But, how? It's just an old Police Box!" He was rambling on about something called a Time Lord, and something called a Tardis, but it was all very foreign to me. As I was still trying to take in everything around me, the man began to mess with different controls on the center console, and the lava lamp in the center started to move.

"Sorry, what? You lost me at Time Lord."

"All you need to know is I am The Doctor, and this is my TARDIS. T-A-R-D-I-S: Stands for Time And Relative Dementions In Space."

"So it's a _**time**_ _**machine**_, then? Right, well, I don't know what kind of trick you're trying to play, but I'll just be going now. I'm sure this is all just some sort of dream, or hallucination or something." As I turned to leave, I saw a tiny gleam out of the corner of my eye. Focusing on it, I realized what it was: a tiny pink bear hanging from a key chain. "That's-"

"Your's. We've met before Elizabeth."

"When I was just a little girl... you were there... _**You were there when my mother died.**_" It all came flooding back to me. The noise, the man, his hair. I thought it all had seemed slighty familiar, like a dream I had, had before; but, that's where I knew him from. I stumbled backwards taking in this realization, tripped over my own feet, and fell straight into the arms of The Doctor. He propped me back up on my feet and turned me around, his hands lingering on my arms.

"Yes, I was." I shrugged away from his grasp.

"But you didn't save her-"

"_**Couldn't**_ save her. Think back to that night; think about what you saw." Almost instantly, I was brought back to that night...

_I was seven years old and it was almost time for me to go to bed. My mother was in the kitchen cleaning up the last of the dishes from dinner while I finished up my favorite disney movie for the fifth time that week, and suddenly there was bright light that flashed outside. "Lizzy, go upstairs. _Now." _I had never heard my mother speak to me in that tone of voice before; so firm, so stern... I ran upstairs as fast as I could. I heard the door creak open and my mother gasp, so I peeked around the top of the stairs to see what was going on. In that moment, I saw the door fly into the house and a giant metal man standing in the doorway. I remember a harsh, computerized voice repeating the word "_delete,_" my mother's scream, a stream of light, then silence as the metal man stomped away. I ran down the stairs as fast as I could to my mother, tears streaming down my face. As I curled up by her side on the ground, I heard more footsteps come in the door. I couldn't-and wouldn't-leave my fallen mother's side, even if that meant I might die too, but when I looked up I saw a man with a big brown jacket and crazy brown hair. He looked so large from where I was on the ground, almost heroic. "It's okay, they're gone now." I ran to him and wrapped my arms around his legs, crying inconsolably. He croutched down to my level and wiped my tears away with a forced smile, "You're going to be okay, trust me, I'm the Doctor."_

"You saved _**me**_ back then, all those years ago." His face lit up at her memory of that night so many years ago.

"Good, you remember! Now, where would you like to go? We could go back in time to Rome at the start of the empire, or to Barcelona where the dogs have no-"

"I'm not going anywhere! Why have you come back? How did you know where I was going to be?" He brought his face in really close to mine.

"Now that I can't explain to you, my dear," he leaned in closer. "You'll just need to find that out for yourself." He grinned a most sinister and teasing smile, then making his way back to the controls he announced, "We can go whereever and when ever you choose, Miss Elizabeth, but on one condition: it has to be brilliant!"


	3. The Adventure Begins

"I don't understand why I _**have**_ to go anywhere with you! Why can't I just go back home? ...I just want to go home."

"Look, Elizabeth, in a matter of hours you will be dead unless you come with me right now. I promised you all those years ago that I would protect you right? Well, here I am, protecting you; breaking all kinds of rules, for _**you**_. Now please, would you just pick somewhere you would like to go?" A look of sorrowful exasperation crossed his face. I had no idea what he meant by that, but remembering this kind man from when I was a child was all the reassurance I needed right now.

"Well, I have always wanted to travel, I guess we could start with another galaxy." I chuckled and smiled at him, and almost instantly the sorrow was swept from his face.

"I know just the place!" And with a little hop he was back at the control station; pushing buttons, pulling levers, running all around the center like a chicken with its head cut off. "Hold on tight!" I was jerked back towards the railing on the side of the entryway, and slowly walked my way back up towards the center console.

"Where are we going?" I had to shout over the roaring noises coming from the engine of the TARDIS.

"Oh, you'll see! Soon enough!" His face was consumed in a wild grin. I would have thought it frightening if not for the obvious traces of excitement and the child-like gleam in his eyes. He pulled another lever and I was hurled forward, then back again as the TARDIS came to an abrupt hault. "Ah. Here we are! Florana! Most beautiful planet in the entire universe!" He headed toward the door.

"Wait! But Doctor, I'm in my pajamas..." I looked down at my frumpy blue sweats and trainers, not to mention the wrinkled and worn t-shirt that read out: _Queen of Sass. _I really didn't want to make the wrong impression on whomever we might be meeting.

"Right then, There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left. Just go quickly!" I made my manuevers through the many hallways and doorways, and past the bins, and went through the fifth door on my left; and, what a sight it was! I imagined a walk in closet, maybe, with a few items to choose from, but this was purely magical! There were rows of shirts and dresses, pants and skirts, mens' clothes on one side, womens' on the other. They were all organized by color and era, and all of them seemed to fit me perfectly! I was so astounded by the massive collection of items that I didn't hear The Doctor sneak in behind me. "It's a bit to take in at first, but you'll get used to it." _I hope I never do... _"I forgot to mention it's a bit warm outside, so I would suggest shorts." And with that he left me again.

I snapped back into the moment and grabbed a pair of jean shorts, a yellow tank, and a pair of black hi-top converse-there was quite a collection of those in there-and changed as quickly as possible. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. _Well, it could be worse... You could have forgotten to brush your teeth! _With a chuckle I grabbed a brush from the nearby vanity and ran it through my short, wavy, brown hair before rushing back out the door to go meet back up with The Doctor.

"You look nice, no more than nice. Very nice." He smiled as he held his hand out for me to lead me out the doors of the TARDIS. "Welcome to Florana, year 4607! Where the lands are carpeted by perfumed flowers, seas of warm milk, and sand as soft as swan's down. Come with me, Miss Elizabeth, and I will take you on a tour of the most beautiful and peaceful places you will ever visit in your lifetime."

We stepped out of the TARDIS and immediately were enveloped in a bed of the most unique flowers I had ever seen. "Doctor, what kind of flowers are these?"

"Osteospermum, otherwise known as the African Spoon Daisy."

"You mean to say, we have these on Earth?"

"Oh, yes! They're found throughout the United States, mostly in California, but I don't know if I would still consider that part of Earth," he winked with a sly grin. "Not a lot of the people there are completely human." As if he had just told his own personal joke he laughed and continued to walk ahead of me towards what looked like a giant glass castle. I had to hurry to keep up with his lengthy stride, but when I finally caught up to him, I was out of breath and he looked worried. I was about to ask what was wrong when I followed his gaze to the glass castle: the walls were cracked with small holes as pinpoints in a larger web of patterns, the tall spires atop the different levels were crumbing, and there were shadows dancing across some of the inner building cracks in a way that almost made the castle appear to be weeping.

"What happened to it?" My voice was almost inaudible. I wasn't sure what had happened there, but I was overwhelmed by a sense of sorrow and reverence for whomever used to live here.

"Isn't is fasinating how the rest of the planet continues to grow and live while the castle crumbles? The flowers are still blooming and growing, and yet, right in the middle of it all, the hub of creation on this planet is decaying." I stole a glance of him out of the corner of my eye right as a tear slid down his cheek. Following my first instinct, I reached over and grabbed his hand. His fingers tightened around mine in an appreciative squeeze. After a moment, he seemed to be pulled back into reality, "Something invaded. To answer your question."

"But what? Who would do something like this to a place so beautiful?" At that moment, the shadows on the building seemed to shift and grow. _Must be a trick of the light, _I thought to myself. The Doctor began to tug on my hand a little, pulling me back towards the TARDIS.

"Elizabeth, we need to leave. _**Now.**_" Almost on cue the shadows began to stretch and morph again, this time into the flowers below. "Don't look back , Lizzy, just run!" He wasn't letting go of my hand, and I was extremely grateful for that.

When we arrrived at the TARDIS, I glanced back as I ventured back through the doors. The shadows were even closer now, casting a dark, sinister hue on the flowers below. Safe inside the TARDIS, I slowly regained my breath. "Doctor... what... what were we running from? What was causing that shadow?" It all seemed a little silly to me, running from a shadow, that is, but the look on the Doctor's face in that moment as he tried to start the TARDIS up, was not allowing me to calm down.

"_Vashta Nerada_," he whispered. "The shadows that melt the flesh."


End file.
